about time
(CNN) -- Chastity Bono, gay-rights activist and child of performer Cher and the late entertainer and politician Sonny Bono, is in the early stages of transitioning from a female to a male and will be known as Chaz, his spokesman said Thursday.
Activist Chastity Bono is transitioning from female to male and will be known as Chaz.
"Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity," Howard Bragman said in a written statement.
"He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones. It is Chaz's hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his 'coming out' did nearly 20 years ago."
Someone's decision to transition does not necessarily mean they are undergoing gender reassignment surgery, and in many cases they do not, said Mara Keisling, executive director of the Washington-based National Center for Transgender Equality.
"The whole media fixation on surgery is kind of misplaced," she said. "Almost no transgender people ever have surgery. We don't have any idea how many do." iReport.com: Do you have a transgender story?
posted by Bagack at
4:52 PM
2 Comments:
Although I am not gay, I feel some kind of kinship with gay people. Like many gays, I too grew up persecuted. In my case, it was for my physical appearance (thin, frail guy, pale skin). Add to that the double-whammy of having stupid immigrant parents who were a million light years out of touch with living in a new country.
When I read stories about young gays having a tough time, I just feel this familiarity. I know it is 10x more difficult to suffer homophobic persecution, than what I went through, but just for a moment, sometimes, I just 'get' it.
It is part of the reason I am so passionate about gay rights. Yes, I am heterosexual, but I want to fight on behalf of gays. I want to fight against persecution of gays, lesbians and trans-gendered people.
"Boys Don't Cry" hit home for me. I could feel the constant fear of Hillary Swank's character. I knew that fear.
Another factor in that is that I have a mental illness (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). Back in the 1960s when I grew up, I had to desperately hide it. My OCD makes me perform ,000s of tiny mental ritualistic prayers every day (I estimate I have done about 6 million OCD rituals so far in my life). Even in the 21st century, it is something you have to hide. People will think you are weird. My own Mother still doesn’t accept it or talk about it ("haven’t you gotten over that yet?" she once shouted angrily).
And so of course back in the '60s, in school, you would dread the idea of other 'normal' kids finding out about your OCD. I didn’t even know it had a name! I thought I was the only one on the planet who had this 'thing'. Constant fear. Unending. Maybe that was my own little closet. Having OCD and hiding it, I mean.
All of which to say: good on ya, Chaz! I hope her Mother is very proud of her. No matter what path your Children take, thank God that you have these Children. Every Child is a gift. Whatever decision they take, it always turns out to be what is meant to be. It turns out to be right because it is their decision. Their decision. That is the most important thing.
I was browsing cafe press and found that there is someone selling tons of gay pride I support Chaz items. www.cafepress.com/iChaz
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